This publication is made pursuant to Point 3.1 of Annex 1 to Financial Regulation 2018 that provides for an ex-ante publication on the Institutions' websites of contracts with a value up to 138 999,99 EUR. The European Commission will launch soon a call for tenders for a service contract of a maximum value of EUR 50 000. The duration of the tasks will be 6 months. Full details about the tender specifications are provided as an Annex. No evaluation is performed at this stage.

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, said: "Working together across silos will boost our capacity to better help the patients by sharing and interpreting technological advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment prediction across the EU." Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, added: "Today's investment confirms our strong support in advanced technologies that will shape the future of the health sector in the European Union. Together with Member States, we must put in place a framework that balances individual concerns and health system constraints, while unleashing innovation in healthcare for the benefit of all Europeans." Furthermore, Commissioner Gabriel will convene tomorrow the second high-level roundtable that brings together representatives of the European Commission, the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technology industries and the civil society. During the event she will discuss the roadmap set out in the Communication on the digital transformation of health and care, adopted in April 2018, as well as other key topics, such as the next steps on the recently adopted Recommendation on the interoperability of electronic health records systems, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. She will also highlight the importance of taking forward the exchange of health data across borders and addressing the relevant privacy and data protection aspects.

The new Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Investment Fund was launched earlier this year and will finance the development of highly innovative artificial intelligence and blockchain companies as part of a wider move to create a dynamic EU-wide innovation ecosystem. Run by the European Investment Fund, the first phase of the AI and blockchain fund will make available €100 million in 2020 to support companies working in this sector. More information about how to apply for funding will be available soon, and companies attending the Slush event can learn more about the fund at the European Commission's workshop. Europe is home to a world-leading AI and blockchain research community, with vibrant start-ups and a wide range of traditional industries looking to adopt innovative processes and models based on these technologies. Investment levels in Europe have traditionally lagged those in the US and Asia, however, and the aim of the fund is to narrow this investment gap and support the development of innovation in this field.

During the day the EC representatives will present the details of the calls for proposals, euRobotics will provide additional information, including presentations on the existing Digital Innovation Hubs, and the proposers will have the possibility to present their project ideas or expertise to the audience, offering them an excellent networking opportunity to complement their consortium, or to join a consortium. Registration is free of charge, but mandatory to get access to the venue. Please have a look at the programme. You can also follow the event via live webstreaming. The recoding will be available after a few days.

The development of foundational technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and the convergence with other key technologies like IoT is going to accelerate the digital transformation of industry and services. They will provide new opportunities to innovate, create new ventures and to invest in technologies and applications that will deeply change the existing business models. The support program will be critical for the successful implementation of this first EU-wide Deep Tech Investment Fund specifically focused on the development and acceleration of Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Distributed Ledger technologies and the Convergence of these technologies. As part of this Investment support program, the European Commission is aiming to: (i) to enhance the awareness and visibility of innovative AI and Blockchain companies and projects with financial intermediaries and the broader investment community; (ii) to carry out a series of market consultations with a broad range of stakeholders from the AI/blockchain ecosystem, Governments and private investors, (iii) to convene and to better link the investment community with innovative Blockchain/AI SME and startups (iv) support the portfolio development and originate a deal flow of technically and financially viable projects; and(v) to mobilise more investors and to facilitate cooperation schemes by contributing to the creation and optimal operation of an EU-wide Deep Tech Investment Program, with a focus on AI, Blockchain and the Convergence of technologies.

The Digital Single strategy of the European Commission sets out to "open up digital opportunities for people and business and enhance Europe's position as a world leader in the digital economy."(1) This article will briefly examine a part of that by looking at the work of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (Unit A.1). We know that the Unit sets out to push forward the development of a competitive industry in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) throughout Europe. Certainly, this includes industrial and service robots plus the growing field of autonomous systems from drones and driverless vehicles to computing and cognitive vision. Also, the Unit encourages the wide uptake and best use of robotics and AI in all societal and industrial fields.

The Guidelines put forward a set of 7 key requirements that AI systems should meet in order to be deemed trustworthy. The AI HLEG has also prepared a document which elaborates on a Definition of Artificial Intelligence used for the purpose of the Guidelines. The document also provides an assessment list that operationalises the key requirements and offers guidance to implement them in practice. Starting from the 26th of June, this assessment list undergoing a piloting process, to which all stakeholders are invited to test the assessment list and provide practical feedback on how it can be improved.

The European Commission is launching a tender for two studies to survey and analyse progress on the digital transformation of the health and care in the EU, in particular with regard to citizens' access to their electronic health records (EHR) in the EU Member States and the development, adoption and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the health and care sector in the EU. The call for tender includes two specific studies (i.e. The maximum amount allocated to the studies is EUR 300 000 for Lot I and EUR 200 000 for Lot II. The closing date of the call is 23 September 2019 at 15:00. The detailed tender specifications and more information about the procedure and eligibility conditions are available on TED.

Eight industry-driven AI pilots will demonstrate the value of the AI-on-demand platform as a technological innovation tool. The pilots and research will showcase how AI4EU can stimulate scientific discovery and technological innovation. The AI4EU Ethics Observatory will be established to ensure the respect of human centred AI values. Sustainability will be ensured via the creation of the AI4EU Foundation. The results will feed a new and comprehensive Strategic Research Innovation Agenda for Europe.

Nowadays Artificial Intelligence represents an essential technology and an area of high strategic importance that generates tremendous benefits, bringing solutions to numerous societal challenges. The recent innovations have huge disruptive potential. Society needs to be prepared to harness the power of AI, and understand its impact on the economy and society. In the digital era, learning the way AI works and its implications for our lives has become fundamental. Are you wondering how AI might affect your job or your life?